Kael and Seris arrived at the Guild.
Kael pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Behind the counter, the receptionist looked up—then froze. Her mouth fell open.
"By the gods—what happened to you?!"
Kael dropped a cloth bundle onto the counter. It landed with a dull clunk. Chitinous mandibles unrolled out of the fabric like meat hooks, still slick with gore.
"D-rank infestation, huh?" Kael said.
Seris said nothing. She stood behind him, presence looming like a weapon unsheathed.
"T-that's... that's from the field job?"
"Yup. Nest the size of a small village. Hundreds of spawn. One queen. Deep burrows. You want to go check it out yourself?"
"That's impossible," the girl stammered. "That shouldn't—those reports said it was—"
"Bullshit. Someone filed a fake report or a cover-up. Whatever's down there isn't new. It's old. You people sent adventurers to die."
The girl looked overwhelmed. "I—I'll get the Guildmaster."
"Please do."
....
The Guildmaster wasn't what Kael expected.
Bald, clean robes, short sword at his hip that looked polished but unused.
He didn't look at Seris once.
Just Kael.
Kael—a nobody F-rank adventurer. A man who shouldn't have survived a Hive.
He stared at Kael like he was the infestation.
"Explain," the Guildmaster said.
Kael met his gaze and started talking.
The tunnels. The queen. The death. How the quest was a death trap. How a single mistake would've gotten them both eaten.
Seris added short, cold confirmations. She stood one step behind Kael. But her presence was unmistakable. She was a B+ rank killer. Everyone in the room could feel it.
When they finished, the Guildmaster frowned.
"You're F-rank," he said, like Kael didn't know that already.
"Yeah."
"You shouldn't have survived this. A queen? Are you certain?"
Kael jerked a thumb at the gore-covered mandibles. "Pretty sure. Also, Seris is why I'm alive. She is a B+ rank combat slave. You can verify the seal on her collar."
The Guildmaster gave the mandibles a long look. "We'll need to test these."
"You do that," Kael said. "In the meantime, I want our pay. Full hazard compensation. Rank adjustment. And I want danger pay. You sent me into a hellhole. If we'd died, no one would've even known. That's negligence."
He looked at Kael like a roach demanding tribute. Then—finally—nodded. "You'll be paid. Wait here."
Seris stepped forward slightly. "My master demands an audit of the quest board. If this was deliberate—"
The man cut her off. "Slaves don't make demands."
The temperature in the room dropped.
Kael's voice sharpened. "She speaks my will. That's how this works, right? I bought her. I own her. So everything she says? Comes from me."
The Guildmaster stared at her for a long moment. Then nodded once.
"Fine. We'll review the posting history. You'll be notified."
He left.
Kael sat down heavily in a nearby chair.
"I don't think he likes us."
She looked at him. Didn't say anything.
Kael scratched the back of his neck. "It's weird. This whole adventurer thing. Thought it'd be, I dunno… goblin caves, maybe rescuing cats, beer for payment. Not 'descend into bug hell and maybe get eaten by a mutant broodmother.'"
Seris said nothing.
Kael got a little annoyed and said, "Come on, say something. It's weird being the only one talking. Also—you're ridiculously strong. You fight like a damn monster."
She looked away.
"People don't always fight because they're strong," she said, voice quiet. "Sometimes… they fight because they're the only one left. Because if they stop, no one else will pick up the sword."
The Guildmaster re-entered, tossing a pouch and a writ onto the table.
"Adjusted bounty," he said curtly. "Mission reclassified. Hazard tier acknowledged. This'll go straight to Central for review."
Kael opened the pouch.
Silver glinted inside — a good amount. A thick cluster of bronze coins cushioned a few weighty gold pieces at the bottom. He counted quickly with his eyes.
"Seventy bronze, forty silver, five gold…?" He picked up the writ. "This gets us a ten-gold payout from Central if the reclassification is approved."
The Guildmaster nodded. "Initial payment. Full hazard compensation once Central processes the audit. Rank review pending."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "This actually fair, or you trying to buy silence?"
The man didn't answer.
"...We'll double-check all active missions within twenty leagues. If there's more like this, we'll know."
Kael stood.
"Next time," he muttered, "just don't send rookies into a fucking hive."
The Guildmaster didn't respond.
Seris followed as they exited the building, leaving behind silence and tension thick as blood.
.....
The sun had dipped below the rooftops. Street lamps glowed faintly, powered by arcane crystals or firestones.
"Hey, you!" a voice barked behind them.
Kael and Seris turned.
A man in thick robes stalked forward. Greasy hair. Snarling lips. Rings on every finger.
"Who the hell—?" Kael started.
"You don't recognize me?" the man spat. "I'm the Artificer. The one whose sales you're ruining. My firestone sales are plummeting. My arcane lamp clients are abandoning me. All because of your... your damn flashlights and fire sticks."
"Oh, this is... sad. What do you want now?"
The man's face twisted.
"You're hurting my business. I want you to raise your prices or stop selling. I'm warning you—I'm not a good person. I've got connections. Real ones. People who can make your life very unpleasant."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You threatening me, man?"
"Take it however you want. Just know that actions have consequences. Accidents happen. Shops burn. People disappear. Especially slaves."
Seris stepped forward.
Kael put a hand on her arm.
"No," Kael said. "Let me."
Kael stepped forward, his voice low and dangerous. "Listen, I don't care about your business. I sell what I sell. If you can't compete, that's your problem."
The Artificer sneered. "You'll regret this."
He turned and walked away.
Seris stared down the alley where the Artificer had vanished. Then, quietly, she said, "Men like that don't act alone. If he has connections, they won't come at you with words next time." She turned to Kael. "You should strike first. Cut off his influence, or bind it to your own. That's how we did it in the courts—never wait for the knife. Make them bleed before they draw it."
Kael sighed. "Probably. But we'll deal with it when it comes."
She looked at him for a long moment. Then nodded once.